Once again, an English city that has multiple railway termini because, well, privatised railways…read more Then again, when it was built the only people investing in railways were private companies. However, this station is pretty massive. In fact it is so big that it is really quite easy to get lost in it. In fact, there are like four areas where you go to catch a train, and two of them don't meet (which means you have to exit, and then enter again). Anyway, this station isn't bad, and it even has a pub in it, which is cool.

Birmingham Moor Street might be one of the smaller stations in the city centre, and it might not be…read moreas big, bold and modern, while also lacking the number of railway services compared to New Street, but Birmingham Moor Street just has something I like. Its minimalistic style is beautiful and rather nice, it feels like a traditional old British railway station done well, even down to the platform numbers. It is right opposite the Bullring, I would recommend heading to a store inside there, or perhaps Subway to get some food for the train, as other than a few small stores, there isn't much on offer here especially if you are making a long journey. The station is managed by Chiltern Railways and is the terminus of their route into London Marleybone. Services are also offered by West Midlands Railway. Many of the services from this station are mainly local services, into the likes of Birmingham Snow Hill and Solihull, sadly there are no connections into Birmingham International (For the Airport and NEC). I found the staff at the station to be a little rude and unhelpful, which was a sad first interaction with Chiltern Railways. 3* - Traditional old station with a good feel to it, obviously the lack of services and unfriendly staff do let it down and I will always prefer travelling via New Street, but this isn't a bad alternative.

Had a great experience catching a train from here to London. Quick drop off by my Uber at the drop…read moreoff and. A quick walk inside the station and they thought of the ones with suitcases and had a non step entrance! Yay! That's what they call it ! We grabbed a quick coffee and found our platform easily and thankfully they have escalators. The train had just pulled in and we were able to get on and get settled and took off right on time . Found a spot for our suitcases as soon as we get on close to our seats which we had reserved and were easy to find. Smooth ride and very efficient. Would go from here again if I need to. Nice central Birmingham location too.

This is a pretty massive station, though to be honest it can be pretty annoying to make your way…read morearound. Like, there are four zones, no doubt matching the platforms where the trains arrive. The thing is that you have to touch off and touch on to move between the zones. However, they happen to have quite a lot of shops here, and pubs, yeah, they have pubs as well, and a place to dump your bags as well, which is pretty cool.

It's hard to review a train station, especially a tiny local one like the JQ. The 3 stars come from…read morethe fact that at times it can be a nightmare to buy a ticket and since the permit to travels were abolished sometimes there is just no way to get one. But it's a small local station so that shouldn't really be a surprise. There are 2 platforms, and a tram stop so JQ station serves the locality reasonably well - you can get straight to Stratford from here so perfect for a nice day out. If you need to get to New Street however, it might be easier to walk (about 15 minutes) as you'll have to get off at either Snow Hill or Moor Street and walk over the New St from there. It's located up Vyse Street close to the Jewellery Quarter Museum and the wealth of shops and bars in the area. It's hard to know what else to say, it's usually clean. The access to the platforms is adequate and it's well lit for the most part. Well done Jewellery Quarter Station you succeed at being what you are. A train station!

Handy, but not ideal - this tiny train station in the Jewellery Quarter may not be the best station…read morein Birmingham but it serves it's purpose. With only two platforms (trains in and trains out of Birmingham) and a tram stop, you can get to many local destinations including Solihull, Malvern and Stratford-Upon-Avon from here. The ticket office seems to be very rarely open these days, but there is a machine which you can purchase from (including railcard tickets). With the bus getting more and more expensive, a local return can be obtained for as little as £2 and can go up to £3 for peak to get in and out of the City. There are no shops in this station, but it's located smack bang in the middle of the Jewellery Quarter, so you can always grab a coffee before you head down. As a point of interest, there is an old Victorian urinal called the "Temple of Relief" situated right outside the station, so be sure to grab a picture of the amazing ironwork before you jump on your train.

The Bullring was built around a Church, St Martin's in the Bullring…read more It's named after Martin Lewis who is the patron Saint of shoppers, He used to show shoppers how to make great savings on their purchases in Medieval times. Ok so that might not be true. But with recent facts about Birmingham being confused by Fox News. The bullring opened in September 2003 (I know I was working there!) It's mainly a high street fashion shopping destination but there are lots of little food units to explore round the three floors. Built into what was a sloping hill each of the floors have street level exits which can cause lots of confusion on your first visit. But fear not. There are touch screen maps around the centre to help you explore. It's huge glass roofs help natural light flow through each of the floors and you can walk from here to Birmingham New Street Station without going outside if you follow the walkways. Mornings are usually quieter than the rest of the day so if you are in a rush get there for 10am on a week day!

I see this place as more of a necessity, I don't really like going here but you have to so you can…read moreget to the majority of the shops in Birmingham city centre. Don't get me wrong, the place in comparison to other shopping centres is almost beautiful, big open skylight, actually quite clean and toilets on almost every level. But half the time the escalators are broken, the last one being a total of nearly 4 months (and having to fight through H&M if you wanted to go down to the ground level). The elevators are ridiculously slow, and usually monopolized by the owners of tiny humans in prams... which is fair enough as they would struggle with the stairs. The morale of this story is - take the stairs. Other than that gripe its generally not a bad place, just really busy. You can cut through the bullring to quickly get to any other part of town and because the whole building is sheltered its convenient for shopping in the bad weather.

Birmingham is served by 3 train operators, varying in price, speed and route. London Midland trains…read morego from New Street Station and serve the route to London, as well as many more local routes (to Selly Oak for example). London Midland is significantly cheaper than booking with Virgin if you are heading to London, but the trains have become dated and aren't cleaned very often; meaning it's sometimes a more unpleasant ride and worth paying the extra. Saying that, when I last travelled London Midland it was perfectly fine. As with all operators, booking advance is essential to getting a decent price for your tickets (especially to London). The route from Euston to Birmingham at 4pm on First Class (or what passes for First on London Midland) was a very reasonable £16 on a Wednesday evening. Be warned though, the journey took over 2 hours! The first class carriage was clean enough and had powerpoints on the table seats which meant I could get some work done, however, there is no WiFi (which is complimentary with Chiltern and Virgin First Class). If you are looking for a cheap ticket to get from A to B, then it's worth checking out London Midland. I would definitely advise (as a pro tip) to check the journey time. As previous, my last journey was over 2 hours but there are express trains which take a little over the time it takes for a Virgin Train. In Summary, it serves a need but always check alternatives before you travel!

I travelled with London Midland (Lnd Euston - Northampton and back) and I was very satisfied…read more The train is pretty much a commuter train so it is rather simple interior design. It was pretty comfortable but unfortunately no dedicated shelves for luggage larger than hand baggageand so you have to place suitcases in doorway. It was on time. Tickets are easy to buy at the station. Staff everywhere to ask for help. Accepts AMEX.

This is the same as my other review for the Solihull branch. Good store, with a variety of toys and…read morehelpful staff. The difference between this branch and Solihull is the size. This is much bigger and therefore does stock more toys. Has same offers as the other branch in. The reason children prefer this branch is the crawl through tunnel at the entrance, which goes behind the tills down turns into a slide! Great for kids but when its busy its difficult to keep your eye on them!

My daughter had some money for Christmas and was keen to spend it, so I took her into Birmingham…read moreCity Centre to The Entertainer. We've been in here loads of times as she loves the selection of toys and games, she's a Barbie and Bratz fanatic so loves the fact that The Entertainer has a good range of these to choose from. I love how well the shop is laid out because it is so straight forward and the same type of toys are all grouped together, this means we can easily bypass the parts of the shop which my daughter isn't interested in (Action Men) and go straight to the girly toys. Once she's spent a while browsing the dolls and teddies we always have a look around the arts and crafts section which is excellent. They sell such child friendly items as paint-by-numbers sets, paint your own statues and things like that. These are always extremely reasonably priced and very often on BOGOF offer, last week my daughter bought two good quality paint-by-numbers sets which cost just £3 each and when she got to the till the lady told her she could choose another two completely free! The Entertainer always seems to have a sale on and the prices on sale items are drastically reduced, a tenner off a £25 item and offers like that which can cut your shopping bill big time. Here you can also buy items such as toy cars, train sets and other traditional toys which is a bonus as these days even toys seem geared towards technology and it's lovely to find a shop where I can buy a good old fashioned 'brum-brum' for my nephew. The staff in The Entertainer are always excellent and obviously chosen for their rapport with children. I've never had a problem with anyone in here and love the way that my daughter can go and ask for advice without being made to feel like she is a nuisance or, worse, 'just a kid'. I always get the feeling that staff in here want the children to be as happy as their parents and this makes for a very nice shopping experience.

This is a historians dream, stocked wall-to-wall with books and models from every conceivable…read moreperiod in history. That's not to suggest Ian Allan's is stuck in the past, despite its reassuringly retro feel, this place moves with the times, giving prominence to the hottest history at a given moment in time. For instance, Titanic is pretty big in there at the moment. This place gives you total history though. You can not only read an account of the history of the tank on the battle fields, you can also get your history hands dirty and make a model to back things up. This is the place to bring a kid who's just developing historical interests of their own. Talking of kids, my husband drools longingly over the Apollo missions models in the window whenever we walk past this place, but isn't allowed one! Maybe if he's good...how far away is Christmas?

My father would just love this place and I believe good part of boys probably do! I…read more Ian Allan Book and Model Shop is a business for transport enthusiasts and as there are only four shops of this fine publisher in UK, Birmingham is certainly privileged to be in the route of the transporter spotters. Their range of books, magazines and models include publications about trains, buses, ships, lorries and all kind of transport you came across. Even this shop is placed right in the city centre, next to one of the entrances of Birmingham New Street station and other businesses in the area, this bookshop seems to be a bit hidden from the eyes of people who pass by in this area weekly. Even if this shop has its certainly public, you should visit it once to find out that they have really interesting maps and books that can be very useful for the next trip in this country and if you are also interested in History, There are fine publications about Medieval, World Wars and 17th to 20th centuries in this place.

I spent 2 weeks in the UK on business. During that time, I wasn't able to do nearly the amount of…read moreexploring that I'd hoped I would. I took a train from Bedford to London and spent the entire day walking around and exploring. I spent a lot of time traveling back and forth between Bedford and Birmingham, and exploring all I could between. Aston Hall was the only place I visited that I knew I would never forget. I was lucky to be here on the off season, on a bright sunny day. I had the property to myself, but was unfortunately unable to poke around inside. Aston Hall is overwhelming. The house had so much personality. The patches of lime green and crazy slippery algae in the corners of near the front door, the big beautiful gardens on either side of the property that smell of roses even before they bloom and the sound of children playing on the lawn *That on it's own blew me away, thinking of kids back home (in America) playing in just regular parks with a swing set while these children run around playing tag in the gardens of Aston Hall.*. The towering and cracking door leading into the front hall. I could go on forever. I don't know what it is about this property, but I felt immediately attached to it. I just sat on the front lawn and stared, knowing that when I left I would miss it immediately. If I had the chance to go back to the UK for just one hour, I'd spend it at Aston Hall.

I have spotted the Aston Hall for the first time some years ago, in my first visit to Birmingham,…read morewhen I was crossing the Aston Park to reach by Aston Villa's pitch. I can't describe how impressed was to see this stunning mansion's garden and I never would think this location would hide such an exuberant building. So I have decided to visit inside this historical Hall properly. What a fascinating experience! Built in 1635, The Aston Hall is considered almost like a treasure of Midlands and it was residence of The Holte Family for several years. The house also suffered a damaged during the English Civil War, in 1643. Nowadays, the Aston Hall is open to the public as a museum and what can be seen inside this Jacobean construction is a really interesting heritage collection of furniture and rooms that express well that atmosphere in Britain, in the period covering from 17th to 19th centuries. The details of the walls and the kitchen supplies of this impressive building are really lovely and visiting Aston Hall is a synonymous of a good day out with family. The admission to Aston Hall is £ 4 (adults) with free admission to children under 16, but every first Sunday of each month it`s free for visiting. The site is usually open from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 12 pm to 4 pm. Take a note: The Headless Statue is an interesting and sad part of Aston Hall history. Look for more information about it before visiting the place.

This is the sweetest little shop, and my experiences here have been really great…read more I first came across the Build-A-Bear workshop (henceforth, BAB) in the US, in Pennsylvania. My youngest brother, who was 4, got a gift certificate from all of us to build his little bear, whom he called Beary Bear (oh hush) and dressed in a little soldier's outfit (hush, I said!). He had such a good time, and finally regretfully and tearfully parted with that bear around 10 years old (sorry kid, but we all know it's true). Most recently, I took a friend's daughter into the Bullring shop for the same experience. The BAB set up is really unique and wonderful. It gives children the feeling of being in Santa's Toy Workshop, helping to build and create, and that collaborative effort brings no small amount of magic to their toy. BAB works like this: kids pick the type of creature they want (popular choices are a moose, a teddy bear, a puppy), then you take him over to the stuffing machine. One of the BAB staff gives kids a talk about how once your animal is completed, it will be given a heart and filled with love, and how they'll have to look after it. Each animal receives a heart and its stuffing, then it's time to head to the clothing section, where, for the included price package, you get to pick an outfit for your bear, including shoes (you can purchase additional outfits as well). Then onto accessories. The final step is picking a name, and having a name tag attached, the child's animal put into a box and taken home to become a favourite forever (or at least until puberty). It really is a wonderful process, and absolutely heart-warming to see children's faces lighting up with delight as they build their bear. A flawless idea.

Build a Bear is a great shop for parents and children alike, giving the child not only a gift…read morethey'll treasure, but the opportunity to take an active part in the design and production of that same toy, making the whole experience that little bit more memorable. Each step of the design process, from selecting the bear's general appearance and features to picking out the toy's clothing, accessories and even giving the stuffed animal a voice by implanting a voice chip (sorry if I'm spoiling the magic for those reading at home!). The staff are all trained to help make the child's bear-building adventure as wondrous as possible, placing this shop a league above those that simply sell uninspiring, mass-produced toys that can never claim to be unique, or a gift straight from the heart. Of course, you'll pay that little bit extra for the experience, but what you end up with is a toy that will occupy pride of place in your child's collection for years to come.

Another mobile phone store I have visited on Soho Road and to be honest Fonez Direct is not any…read moredifferent to any other phone store. This is another phone store where you can get your mobiles unlocked or repaired. Phone accessories can be purchased along with new and used mobile phones. International calling cards can be brought from Fonez Direct since the shop has links with Lebara. The new mobiles on offer are pretty good and the used mobiles on display are not bad either. Maybe this is a place where you can buy decent phones from. Apart from the phone network stores, there haven't been any other places where I have seen a phone and want to buy it. In this store I have to say there were one or two phones I was tempted to buy. But in the end I didn't. However I was still impressed with the phones on offer here and the staff do know their products inside out. They are there to help.

I bought my first mobile phone about 12 years ago now. It was a pay as you go with text messages,…read moreas they were the latest thing at the time. The phone I owned had a very basic black and white LCD screen, nothing like today's phones that come equipped with pretty much everything. With the advent of SMS, MMS and face time, phones today have become like mini laptops. People invest hundreds in Smart Phones, phones that have the capability to go online, do your shopping, change your life etc. This shop caters for mobile phones. They sell phones, international calling cards and mobile phone accessories. They also have trained staff that can unblock your phone if it is stuck on a certain network. The problem is that too many off these shops are on our high streets. It would be ok if just a few of them existed, but this is just like the next one and the next one and the next one. I'm already starting to get bored.